South Africa face penalty if no replay

Colombo: The International Cricket Council on Thursday said a failure to replay the abandoned tri-series matches between South Africa and Sri Lanka could lead to the African team being penalised.

The ICC said the triseries matches fell under the Future Tours Programme and as per its regulations they have to be replayed if called off.

"If they (South Africa and Sri Lanka) don't reach an agreement on the dates, it could go to the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee where there is a potential of a decision of fines going against South Africa," ICC Media Manager Brian Murgatroyd said.

REPLAY REQUIRED: If South Africa do not reschedule their abandoned tri-series, they could face severe penalties.

Murgatroyd, however, said the ICC would step in if the two boards could not arrive at a consensus on their own.

"For now, it is between the CSA and the SLC. It is upto them to make arrangement for the matches to be replayed. These matches are part of the FTP," he said.

South Africa pulled out of a tri-series that was to be played from August 14 to 29 against Sri Lanka and India following a fatal bomb explosion on the opening day of the series.

India are to stay back and play a three-match series against the hosts.

SLC chief executive Duleep Mendis expressed dismay at South Africa's decision which he said was based on a report submitted by a security expert team housed in Dubai without personally analysing the ground situation.

That security assessment was an independent review after an earlier report by the security team travelling with the South Africans recommended them to go home as the security situation had considerably deteriorated since they arrived last month to play a two-Test series against the hosts.

Murgatroyd defended the need for a second independent security team making a fresh evaluation of the situation in Sri Lanka.

"The earlier report was submitted by Nicholls and Steyn who were working for CSA. That's not going to be very independent, right," he said.

"Similarly, a report by the SLC was not going to be independent either. That is the reason for an independent report not wedded to CSA or SLC."

Murgatroyd said it would not have been mandatory on the part of South Africa to stay on in Sri Lanka if the second independent report had recommended them to do so.

"It is not mandatory but it would have made their decision to go back home that much more difficult," he said.